Alexandre Vinet
Encyclopedia
Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet (June 17, 1797 - May 4, 1847), was a Swiss
critic
and theologian
.
in Switzerland
.
Educated for the Protestant ministry, he was ordained in 1819, when already teacher of the French language
and literature in the gymnasium at Basel
; and throughout his life he was as much a critic as a theologian. His literary criticism brought him into contact with Augustin Sainte-Beuve, for whom he obtained an invitation to lecture at Lausanne, which led to his famous work on Port-Royal
.
Vinet's Chrestomathie française (1829), his Études sur la littérature française au XIXe siècle (1840–51), and his Histoire de la littérature française au XVIIe siècle, together with his Études sur Pascal, Études sur les moralistes aux XVe et XVIe siècles, Histoire de la prédication parmi les Réformes de France and other related works, gave evidence of a wide knowledge of literature, acute literary judgment and a distinguished faculty of appreciation. He adjusted his theories to the work under review, and condemned nothing as long as it met his literary standards.
As a theologian Vinet gave a fresh impulse to Protestant theology
, especially in French-speaking lands, but also in England and elsewhere. Lord Acton classed him with Richard Rothe
. His philosophy relied strongly on conscience, defined as that by which man stands in direct personal relation with God
as moral sovereign, and the seat of a moral individuality which nothing can rightly infringe. He advocated complete freedom of religious belief, and to this end the formal separation of church and state
(Mémoire en faveur de la liberté des cultes (1826), Essai sur la conscience (1829), Essai sur la manifestation des convictions religieuses (1842).
Accordingly, when in 1845 the civil power in the canton
of Vaud
interfered with the church's autonomy, he led a secession which took the name of L'Église libre. But already from 1831, when he published his Discours sur quelques sujets religieux (Nouveaux discours, 1841), he had begun to exert a liberalizing and deepening influence on religious thought far beyond his own canton, by bringing traditional doctrine to the test of a living personal experience (see also Gaston Frommel
). In this he resembled FW Robertson
, as also in the change which he introduced into pulpit style and in the permanence of his influence. Vinet died at Clarens (Vaud). A considerable part of his work was not printed till after his death.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
and theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.
Life
He was born near LausanneLausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Educated for the Protestant ministry, he was ordained in 1819, when already teacher of the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and literature in the gymnasium at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
; and throughout his life he was as much a critic as a theologian. His literary criticism brought him into contact with Augustin Sainte-Beuve, for whom he obtained an invitation to lecture at Lausanne, which led to his famous work on Port-Royal
Port-Royal
Port-Royal-des-Champs was an abbey of Cistercian nuns in Magny-les-Hameaux, in the Vallée de Chevreuse southwest of Paris that launched a number of culturally important institutions.-History:...
.
Vinet's Chrestomathie française (1829), his Études sur la littérature française au XIXe siècle (1840–51), and his Histoire de la littérature française au XVIIe siècle, together with his Études sur Pascal, Études sur les moralistes aux XVe et XVIe siècles, Histoire de la prédication parmi les Réformes de France and other related works, gave evidence of a wide knowledge of literature, acute literary judgment and a distinguished faculty of appreciation. He adjusted his theories to the work under review, and condemned nothing as long as it met his literary standards.
As a theologian Vinet gave a fresh impulse to Protestant theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
, especially in French-speaking lands, but also in England and elsewhere. Lord Acton classed him with Richard Rothe
Richard Rothe
Richard Rothe was a German Lutheran theologian.-Biography:Richard Rothe was born at Posen, then part of Prussia....
. His philosophy relied strongly on conscience, defined as that by which man stands in direct personal relation with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
as moral sovereign, and the seat of a moral individuality which nothing can rightly infringe. He advocated complete freedom of religious belief, and to this end the formal separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
(Mémoire en faveur de la liberté des cultes (1826), Essai sur la conscience (1829), Essai sur la manifestation des convictions religieuses (1842).
Accordingly, when in 1845 the civil power in the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Vaud
Vaud
Vaud is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland and is located in Romandy, the French-speaking southwestern part of the country. The capital is Lausanne. The name of the Canton in Switzerland's other languages are Vaud in Italian , Waadt in German , and Vad in Romansh.-History:Along the lakes,...
interfered with the church's autonomy, he led a secession which took the name of L'Église libre. But already from 1831, when he published his Discours sur quelques sujets religieux (Nouveaux discours, 1841), he had begun to exert a liberalizing and deepening influence on religious thought far beyond his own canton, by bringing traditional doctrine to the test of a living personal experience (see also Gaston Frommel
Gaston Frommel
Gaston Frommel , Swiss theologian, professor of theology in the University of Geneva from 1894 to 1906....
). In this he resembled FW Robertson
Frederick William Robertson
Frederick William Robertson , known as Robertson of Brighton, was an English divine.Born in London, the first five years of his life were passed at Leith Fort, where his father, a captain in the Royal Artillery, was then resident...
, as also in the change which he introduced into pulpit style and in the permanence of his influence. Vinet died at Clarens (Vaud). A considerable part of his work was not printed till after his death.